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Local Establishments Step Up To Support Global Gear Drive

OCEAN CITY – Ocean City
residents can do more than enjoy a refreshing beverage and tasty meal when
visiting several popular local attractions, they can also make a difference in
a child’s life many time zones away by making a contribution to the Global Gear
Drive.

Global Gear Drive displays are set up at Harborside Bar and Grill,
Buxy’s Salty Dog, Peppers Tavern, Greene
Turtle West
Ocean City,
the Sunset Grille and BJ’s. The displays feature a Game On! Youth Sports soccer
ball atop a fishbowl. For a $5 donation individuals can sign one of the 36
panels on the soccer balls and be part of an ever-growing effort to get sports
equipment in the hands of children in need around the world.

“We are extremely
grateful for the help and support of all of these area establishments taking a
lead in having these Global Gear Drive fundraisers and we look forward to many
others following in line,” said Bob Wilkinson, chairman of the Sammy Wilkinson
Memorial World Foundation. “The money raised at these locations is vital
because it allows us to ship sports equipment to children worldwide.”

The Global Gear Drive was created by the Alliance to collect new
and used youth sports equipment that it distributes to children around the
world. In the past several months, the Global Gear Drive has sent shipments of
sports equipment to Trinidad, Grenada, St. Kitts,
Mexico, Dominica, Zambia
and Kenya,
among others.

“The National Alliance
for Youth Sports has turned the heartbreak of a local family into something
worthwhile for children all over the world,” said Doug Buxbaum, owner of Buxy’s
Salty Dog. “We are honored to be a small part of such a wonderful
organization.”

In related news, the Global Gear Drive
announced that Salisbury
University graduate Cindy

Daub has become its new director. Daub was working a summer job at Harborside Bar and Grill this season

when she came in contact with the Global
Gear Drive founder and president.

Daub, who will officially
join NAYS’ 35-person national headquarters staff in West Palm Beach, Fla.,
later this month, has already made an imprint on the program without even being
on the payroll.

“I’ve hired a lot of
people over the years but I’ve never had anyone hit the ground running like she
has,” said Fred Engh, founder and president of the National Alliance for Youth
Sports (NAYS), which oversees the IAYS. “She hasn’t even officially started
with the organization yet and already she has several bars and restaurants in
the Ocean City area who have agreed to implement
our Game On! fundraising program.”

Daub’s love for sports,
blended with her understanding of how they can help shape and define young
lives, made her an ideal fit to oversee the Global Gear Drive.

“I am excited to
take the Global Gear Drive
to the next level and even more anxious to see children all around the world
have the chance to experience sports the same way I have,” Daub said.

For additional
information on contributing to the Global
Gear Drive, or having a fundraising display in
your establishment, call 800-729-2057 or email Daub at cdaub@nays.org.